Closer To A Better Day
by Sparrow Shadow
Summary: Rogue's child hood friend comes to live at the instute. Raven is painfully shy and quiet and unable to control her powers
1. Chapter 1

Closer To a Better Day By Sparrow Shadow

Chapter One: Little Raven Sinclair

See Marie, they never really go away. They just hide until it's safe to come out. It's their way of survivin'. The words leaped unbidden into Rogue's mind as she sat alone in the common room, as did the face if the person who had said them. A sweet smile, tawny eyes, freckles, and fire-red hair, with soft hands bent over a mason jar filled with fireflies, cooing to them softly. Rogue shook her head and returned to her book as Jean and Scott entered the room. "Hey!" Jean said with a smile.

"Hey," Rouge replied. Jean and Scott moved on leaving Rogue to abandon herself to the memory of the little tawny-eyed red-haired girl again.

"Hey, forgot to ask you. A new girl showed up today, and Professor wanted me to ask if you minded sharing a room with her."

"Sure, no problem," Rogue said with a smile. "What's her name?"

"I don't know. All I know is that she's a pyro, she controls fire." Rogue shrugged.

"Cool, just as long as she doesn't set our room on fire."

"She's not all that great with her powers." Rogue shrugged again.

"I'll help her." Rouge followed Jean and Scott into the foyer and saw Storm talking to a strange young girl.

A strange young girl with very familiar red hair…

She turned around and Rouge got a look at her for the first time. She gasped as her green eyes met with tawny ones. "R-Raven?"

"Marie!" the girl squealed in the same thick southern accent that Rouge had.

"Raven? Little Raven Sinclair! Oh my God, look at you, not so little anymore!" The red-haired girl reached out to embrace her friend, instinctively avoiding skin-to-skin contact. Rogue and Raven pulled apart, Rogue holding her at arms length so she could get a good look at her. "My God, I can't believe how much you have grown up. Look, you have a figure."

"Barely," Raven said, placing her hands over her chest.

"You ladies know each other?" Storm asked.

"Oh, yeah. We lived in the same damn trailer park from the time we was kids," Raven said with a giggle.

"We used to get into so much trouble. Damn, Rae, remember when we almost burned down your grandpa's barn?" Rogue replied with a giggle.

"Oh yeah, I remember. We got in so much trouble for that," Raven said with a smile.

"Oh, I can't believe you still have this old mutt," Rogue said as she noticed the border collie sitting patiently at Raven's feet. The old dog wagged his tail as Rouge scratched his muzzle with a gloved hand. "Hey Pepper, long time no see, buddy." The dog gave a sharp bark as he sniffed her hand and brushed his muzzle affectionately across Raven's leg.

"He's still alive and well. He says he recognizes your scent." Rogue stood to face her friend. She had gotten used to her friend's ability to communicate with animals, Something she had always thought of as a special talent, though she realized now that that was part of her mutation. She had had Pepper since age six and the two had been close. Raven was extremely shy and had found it easy to talk to the dog and thought it only natural when the animal had started to talk back. It wasn't just Pepper. As far back as Rogue could remember, the girls would go running in the woods and Raven would have wild rabbits climb in her lap, deer lick her fingers, and coyotes bark greetings before leaving the girls for more exciting ventures. At first, the encounters had made Rouge uneasy, but she soon became confident in her friend's ability to soothe the savage beast. 

"Well, you should recognize me, Pepper old buddy. I've known you since you was a pup." Pepper barked in response. "Raven and I have been best friends since birth."

"From hatch to dispatch, right Marie?" Raven said as Rogue hugged her again.

"Ooo, and you and I are going to be sharing a room. It'll be just like old times. The slumber parties, remember." A dark shadow flickered across Raven's face before she turned back to her friend with a smile, and Rogue, remembering the reason for the slumber parties, didn't say another word.

"Yeah, I remember," she said softly.

Rogue showed Raven to their room and Raven laid her duffel bag and guitar case on the spare bed. "You still play the guitar?" Rogue asked.

"Yeah. I've gotten pretty good." Pepper began busying himself with trying to work the door open. "He likes to get in and out on his own. He's just trying to figure out these doorknobs. They're different then the trailer." It was another minute or so before he successfully opened the door. "Remember to close it, Pepper," Raven said and the dog nodded before pushing it closed with his paw. His nails clicked on the floor as he padded to the bed and leaped up next to were Raven and Rogue were sitting.

"So, what's with the black?" Rogue asked, gesturing at Raven's black t-shirt and black jeans. Raven shrugged.

"I just feel like wearing black, is all."

"I can't believe you still have this crazy old mutt," Rogue said, ruffling Pepper's ears.

"Yeah. So, I can't believe you ended up here."

"Yeah. These guys gave me a home when I had nowhere else ta' go. How about you? You always said you would never go to one of those 'schools for the gifted'."

"We'll, I had no other choice. I couldn't stay with my dad anymore. He was drivin' me crazy, yellin' at my step mom all the time. My brother's weren't all that helpful."

"Oh, yeah. I forgot, how's the cast of Ringling Brothers?" Raven giggled.

"Skip has graduated high school."

"How old is he now?"

"Eighteen. Benji's still the only one that doesn't shove me around and Toby's started smokin'.

"Have you ever noticed that your brothers all have dog names? Come on, Skip Benji, Toby. Do you have a cousin named Spot?"

"Actually, I have an aunt named Dottie," Raven said with a giggle. Rogue giggled with her.

"How's your step momma doin' now?"

"She's dead."

"What!" Rogue gasped.

"She had pneumonia."

"Do ya' miss her?"

"I guess. She was the only mother I really ever had. My mother left when I was two and my dad remarried when I was four."

"What is your dad up to now?"

"Who knows? He didn't come home much before I left. I think he had another girlfriend, or something." Rogue shrugged as Raven put her clothes in the drawer as Pepper chewed a flee in his paw.

"So, why did you decide to runaway?"

"I hated being with my dad. You know how he is. If he can't yell at my step mom, he'll yell at me. He always hated my powers, so I left him with his three normal children. I heard about this place somewhere so I decided to give it a shot." Rogue placed her gloved hand on Raven's denim covered knee.

"Well, you're welcomed to stay here as long as you need to." Raven smiled sweetly, her face more serious then Rogue could remember seeing her. "Come on, let's go meet some kids." 


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two: New Girl

Raven and Pepper followed Rogue back down the stairs and into the common room. Pepper turned his nose to Raven, who nodded in agreement. Rogue gave her a confused look and Raven giggled as the dog wagged his tail. "Did you ever feel like you were being shut out of a conversation?" Rogue said vaguely. Raven giggled.

"Pepper says that you've gotten taller." Pepper nodded again.

"What were ya'll giggin' and tail waggin' about?"

"Because you were so confused." Rogue rolled her eyes and Pepper licked her hand apologetically. The others were sitting on various chairs in the common room as they entered and they all looked up. Pepper hid shyly behind Raven's legs, drooping his head and tail. Raven moved behind Rogue's shoulder, her fire-red hair falling in front of her eyes. Jean stood up and stuck out her hand to shake Raven's.

"Hi. I'm Jean. Nice to meet you."

"Raven," the smaller girl replied. "And this is Pepper." Jean petted Pepper on the head and the dog waved his feathered tail. Scott stood as well.

"Nice to meet you both," he said and Pepper, loosing his shyness, barked and wagged his tail, allowing himself to be petted by Scott and Gambit, who had stood as well.

"This your new boyfriend Chere?" Gambit asked with a laugh. Rogue rolled her eyes.

"Raven and I have been friends since we was born," Rogue said. "Our mammas used to dress us up alike for church on Sundays, remember Raven?" Raven giggled.

"They got away with it 'till we was around six or seven and we said 'enough'. Remember when we ran away from home?"

"You two ran away from home?" Kitty asked. "Where did you go?"

"To the stop sign. Neither of us were allowed to cross the street." The three girls laughed.

"Boy, I bet you two were trouble," Scott said. "Should we get friendly with the warden at the local prison?"

"Raven's the one that's the most trouble."

"Hey!"

"Remember who's idea it was to tag the subway station?"

"Yeah, I also remember who bought the spray paint," Raven replied, arching her eyebrow in Rogue's direction.

"How about letting loose Old Man Cooper's chickens, just so we could see how long it took him to round them up with his arthritic leg."

"You were the one holding the stopwatch."

"What about Mrs. Lyn's cat getting tied to the flag pole?"

"It was your idea."

"Gee, I was trouble," Rogue finally acquiesced.

"Yeah, we were."

"So, basically what we're dealing with is sadistic juvenile delinquents?" Gambit finally said, slipping his arm around Rogue's waist.

"We were kids with no money living in a trailer park in Mississippi. We had nothing better to do," Rogue snapped defensively.

"Yeah, we was livin' in the boondocks. We had no, what is it ya'll got out here, Wal-mart, McDonalds, and Burger King. We didn't have a mall. We had one Winn Dixie that was more like a pantry then a grocery store and we had a general store that didn't even have a coke machine. It's a wonder Rogue and I didn't run off and join a cult." The girls shared a laugh. Jubilee bobbed in and took a second to regard the new girl and the dog before her face broke into a smile.

"New girl, what's up?" she said with a giggle. Pepper stood to greet her, allowing the dark-haired girl to scratch his ears and muzzle, his feathery tail increasing the speed of its oscillation. "He's so cute."

"Uh oh," Rogue said with a giggle. "Let's not get the two of you together or it'll really be trouble." Jubilee giggled along with Raven.

"Rogue was always the level-headed one. She kept me in line."

"I tried and I failed miserably." The girls giggled again as Pepper placed his head on Raven's knee and she scratched his ears, feeling safe at last. She was with her best friend again and, despite everything that had happened to her since her since her friend had left, she felt, finally, like she had a home. 


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three: Midnight Wandering and the Name Game

Raven couldn't sleep that night. Long after Pepper and Rogue had drifted off to sleep, she lay awake, absently stroking Peppers silky ears. She shifted uncomfortably, her dog shifting to compensate, placing his head on her ankle. He lifted his head and yawned, looking at Raven tiredly. What's the matter? his voice echoed in her head. He tilted his head.

"I can't sleep," she whispered. He crawled up the bed until his head was on her shoulder. She wrapped her arm around him and he licked her cheek.

Are you homesick? He asked.

"Oh yeah, nobody has tried to slam me into the wall yet." The dog woofed softly, wagging his tail.

I like it here. Especially that girl, Jubilee. She's sweet and she thinks I'm cute.

"Everyone thinks your cute," Raven responded fondly, giving the dog an affectionate peck on the nose. Pepper responded with an affectionate nuzzle and a tired yawn.

Raven slid out of bed and gave a quick look over towards Rogue, assuring herself that her friend was still asleep before slipping quietly out the door, Pepper dragging tiredly behind her. "You don't have to come, ya' know."

Someone's got to watch out for you. He woofed.

Raven began to wish she had stayed in bed. Stumbling around in the dark in an unfamiliar place wasn't her idea of fun, even with Pepper brushing against her leg, telling her where she could and couldn't go. She finally found her way to the back porch, sitting down on the steps and Pepper placed his head on her lap. She scratched his ears and his eyes slowly drifted closed until he was asleep. She heard footsteps behind her and jumped, sighing when she saw Scott easing the door shut and sitting on the porch next to Pepper, who waved his tail a few times but otherwise ignored him. "Someone looks tired," Scott said with a chuckle, stroking his head.

It's three in the morning. Pepper growled. Raven smiled apologetically.

"You didn't have to come, ya' know," Raven said. Scott looked at her questioningly and Raven shrugged. "He's tired," she said simply. Scott nodded. "He doesn't like leaving me alone. He's pretty protective."

"Dogs have a tendency to be like that. You're a good boy, aren't ya' buddy?" Pepper growled and yawned.

I'm trying to sleep. Pepper dropped his head back down and was asleep once more. Raven shifted uncomfortably, never having been good at making conversation with anyone with less then four legs. Scott smiled, placing his hand on her knee.

"You're kinda quiet, ya' know." Raven nodded, her fingers absently twisting her fiery hair, staring at her bare feet.

"I'm not good with people," she said finally. Scott nodded, removing his hand as Pepper growled, awake once more. Finally, Raven stood. "I'm going back to bed," she said, beckoning Pepper to follow her. She darted up the stairs without giving Scott a second glance.

Pepper nearly growled when he felt Raven, once again, shaking him awake. "Wake up, Boy."

Bite me!

"Someone's grumpy," Raven told Rogue, who giggled. "Fine, you stay up here and sleep. I'm going down to get some breakfast."

Breakfast! Pepper barked, alert at last. Raven dug a pair of jeans out of the drawer, making sure they were clean before sliding them on along with her bra and tank-top, all black of course, while running a brush through her tangled red hair. Raven groped for her scrunchi under the bed. Pepper barked, tugging it off of the dresser. Raven began to roughly sweep her hair up, twisting it in the ponytail holder before grabbing her book off the pillow.

"You don't need that thing, Raven. Why doncha socialize for a change?"

"No," she said dryly. Pepper grabbed the book from her and ran under the bed. "Traitor," she snapped. He emerged, wagging his tail.

It's to early in the morning to strangle me, he barked.

"I wasn't going to strangle you. I was just thinking about having you fixed." With a yelp, Pepper dove back under the bed, emerging once more, this time with her book. Raven smirked as someone knocked on the door. Jubilee stood at the door, grinning sweetly. Pepper yipped and ran to her, wagging his tail.

"What's taking you ladies so long?"

"Raven and her dog are having an argument," Rogue said as if it was the most natural thing in the world.

"Pepper says that he likes your perfume."

"What perfume?" she asked "Oh, that? I was frying bacon this morning." Pepper sniffed her hand his tail wagging.

"He likes it." Raven and Jubilee giggled.

"Poor boy. I bet he's starved to death," she cooed. "Come on, ladies and Pepper. Let's go get something to eat." Pepper barked excitedly and Jubilee giggled again.

At breakfast, Raven met the rest of the kids, Kurt, Evan, Bobby, and Tabitha. She also met the three adults, other then Storm, that lived at the institute as well: Beast, Logan, and Professor Xavier. She smiled shyly as Pepper, being the ever effervescent canine, greeted everyone with a wagging tail.

Kitty was trying to get her to join in the conversation, but Raven politely declined, having no desire to join in the conversation. She wasn't sure she liked the girl yet, either. The others seemed to sense that she wanted to be left alone, that she wasn't much into talking, but Kitty continued. Evan flashed her a flirtatious smile, which she returned shyly. Bobby and Kurt seemed to like her, but they were boys and she was a breathing female, which meant they liked her as a given. She talked half-heartedly to Tabitha, who she sensed was the one she had the most in common with. Logan watched her suspiciously and she glared a challenge in his direction. His eyes softened but Raven's didn't. She didn't like adult men. They weren't to be trusted.

After breakfast, the group told her they were training in the danger room. This excited Raven, having no idea what the danger room was, but she liked the name. Rogue told her that it was a training course, helping them learn to control their powers better. "So, do ya' have a nickname?" Gambit asked her. Raven shrugged.

"Not really." Kurt threw an arm around her shoulder, causing Raven to gasp in fright. Kurt didn't seem to notice.

"So, you control fire, right?" he said. Raven nodded. "And you talk to animals?" Raven nodded again.

"You don't talk to people much, do you?" Evan asked gently. Raven shook her head.

"You need a good nickname. One that fits both of your powers," Kurt was going on.

"They call me Spyke," Evan said. "Tabitha is Boom Boom, Kurt is Nightcrawler, Scott is Cyclops, Bobby is Ice Man, Kitty is Shadow Cat, and Logan is Wolverine."

"And I have just the nickname for you," Kurt finally said. "We can call you Firefly. What do ya' think, Raven?"

"Firefly," she whispered, trying it out. Raven nodded, smiling at Kurt. He smiled back.

"Firefly it is," Kurt said triumphantly. Rogue placed her hand on Raven's shoulder with a giggle. 


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four: Training in the Danger Room

Raven followed the others down the stairs, Pepper streaking behind her. "Maybe he should stay in the control room with Logan," Kitty said, scratching Pepper's ear.

Hell no, I'm not leaving you alone, Pepper said with a yelp. You get into to much trouble on your own.

"I should have gotten a cat." Evan gave her a weird look and Rogue giggled.

"That is so weird. Doesn't it freak you out when she starts talking to the dog, Rogue?" Tabitha asked.

"I guess I'm just used to it. She's been talking to animals since we was eight or nine years old." Rogue said with a giggle. Raven smiled shyly, her fiery hair falling in her eyes, hiding her tawny gaze and blush.

"You should talk more," Tabitha suggested, opening the door of the danger room. Raven shook her head, dislodging more of her hair from the ponytail.

"Here, I'll fix that for you," Kitty said, pulling a comb out of her pocket.

"You carry a comb in your pocket?" Raven said, talking at last.

"I put it in there this morning. I was hoping I would get a chance to attack this mop of yours." Kitty said and Raven giggled, allowing the girl to pull her hair up so it wasn't in her face while they trained. Storm looked at them from the control room and gave them the thumbs up before she turned on the machine. Rogue gripped Raven's hand gently, pulling her back.

A laser shot at them and Raven yelped, jerking herself away from Rogue and she and Pepper bolted of to the other side. Tabitha shot, what looked like, a cheery bomb at the laser, but she realized that that was her power. Kitty dodged behind a wall, or through the wall, Raven couldn't tell. She felt Evan grab her arm and Pepper's collar, pulling them out of the way as he shot a spike at the laser to keep it from hitting them. "Thanks," she said shyly. Pepper barked. "Pepper says thanks." He smiled.

"You need to watch out. Try using your powers, Firefly."

"Err…alright." She summoned her powers, focusing them on the laser that was taking aim at her. Pepper moved back and the pressure of Evan's hands on her shoulders disappeared. She closed her eyes, her heart pounding in her chest, praying for her aim to be true. She felt the heat in her fingertips and unleashed it, focusing it on the laser as it fired. Raven's fire missed, striking the laser firing at Kurt and all she saw was a bright red light before the searing pain in her shoulder. She felt a hand on her hand and another on her shoulder as she opened her eyes. Evan was gripping her hand and Rogue was pulling her moving the strap on her tank-top to see the burn. Another laser fired in their direction and Evan jerked both girls out of the way. Pepper followed.

"Rae, are you alright?" Rogue asked.

"I'm fine," she said, rubbing her shoulder as she stood. "Damn, that hurts," she whispered, wincing. For her friend's sake, she forced herself to stand, accepting Evan's help and then dodging another laser aimed directly at them.

"Is she ok?" Jean asked.

"She's fine," Evan said. Pepper barked reassuringly and Raven absently patted his shoulder. Pepper licked her hand as they dodged again and Evan struck the laser. "Try again, and, this time, aim." Raven made a slight whimpering noise in the back of her throat and shook her head. "Come on, Raven. You can do it," he breathed encouragingly in her ear. Raven closed her eyes and took a deep breath, feeling the heat in her fingertips once more. She focused her mind and power on the laser and struck. Her aim was off and Kitty had to leap gracelessly out of the way with a yelp.

"I'm sorry," she said hastily. "I'm sorry Kitty."

"It's alright. I'm fine." She moved behind Raven, as did the others, who had gathered to watch. "Try again," she said.

"No. I can't. This is stupid. I'm going back to bed." Raven turned on her heel and bolted out the danger room door. Rogue started to go after her but Jean placed her hand on Rogue's shoulder.

"Let me talk to her," she said gently and followed after her.

Raven knew Jean was behind her as she opened the first door she saw, hoping to escape her. She turned around as she shut the door and realized she was in some sort of closet. She slid down the wall until she was sitting, hugging her knees to her chest, shivering fearfully. Pepper placed his paw on her knee, followed by his head, wagging his plumed tail. Are you alright, Pepper asked.

"I'm alright." Raven patted his head and his tail wagged harder. The closet door opened and there stood Jean, smiling gently at her.

"I know I'm going to feel silly about asking this, but, Pepper, could I talk to Raven a minute?" Pepper tilted his head, a canine equivalent to a shrug, before padding out the door.

"How did you find me?" she asked softly, once the dog was out of the tiny closet.

"I can read minds, remember," Jean replied, sitting down beside her, shutting the closet door.

"Just my luck." Jean giggled.

"What's the matter, Sweetie?"

"I'm terrible with my powers. Coming here was stupid. I don't want to control my powers, I want to get rid of them."

"Well, you're stuck with them, Raven."

"Life sucks," she snapped and Jean nodded in agreement.

"Raven, I know that you don't want these powers any more then I wanted mine when I discovered them."

"How long did it take you to control yours?"

"Well, let's see. I first discovered my powers when I was twelve and I'm seventeen now. Can I tell you a secret, Raven?"

"Sure, why not?"

"I still can't fully control my powers."

"Really? You can't?" Raven asked, incredulously and Jean nodded. "What do you do when you loose control?"

"Well, that's a trade secret, but, since I'm to nice to make you feel like one of the team by making fun of your accent, I'll tell you." She leaned in close, whispering low. "When I loose control of my powers, I take a deep breath, close my eyes, and…"

"And? And what?"

"I laugh."

"Because everyone else laughs?"

"No, I laugh at myself. We have a saying here. You have no right to laugh at anyone else if you can't laugh at yourself." Raven giggled slightly. "See, there ya' go." She brushed a lock of Raven's fiery hair out of her face. "You'll learn."

"It's just, everybody else has such a handle on their powers." Jean laughed at that.

"That's because they've been here longer. You should have seen them when they first got here. I can pick on Kitty because she picks on me. When she first came here, if she had a nightmare, she'd phase through the bed and hit the ground hard one or two floors below. Kurt started out unable to teleport to places he couldn't see." Raven smiled as Jean placed a hand on her knee. "You see, Rae. You're not the only one."

"I guess you're right. I just have one more question. Do ya'll really make fun of my accent?"

"If it makes you feel any better, we make fun of Rogue, Gambit, and Kurt's too." Raven giggled, leaning against Jean's shoulder, allowing her to hug her. "Come on, Firefly. We can't hide in here forever." Raven nodded as they stood. Raven flashed her a brief smile before opening the door. 


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five: Evan's Advice

Raven was lying on her bed with her headphones on her ears when she heard the door open. Assuming it was Rogue, Raven didn't pay much attention until she felt a hand on her shoulder and she jumped. "Shhh," Evan whispered. "I didn't mean to startle ya'," he said gently. Raven let out a deep breath and smiled.

"What are ya' doin' up here?"

"I want to show you something. Come on." He grabbed her hand and yanked her off of the bed, pulling her gently down the stairs and outside where he had set up several targets. She looked up at him, her tawny eyes looking confused.

"What is this?" She asked.

"Target practice. Come on. Try to hit that target."

"Evan!"

"Come on, Raven. You can do it. Hit the target." Raven took a deep breath and closed her eyes. "There's your first problem. You need to open your eyes." He came up behind her and wrapped his arms around hers, lifting them up until they were parallel to the target. His lips were inches from her ear, so close she could feel his breathing. "Raven, open your eyes. Now focus. Pretend that you're throwing a basketball. Focus your mind and…fire." She nodded, cracking her fingers and squinting her eyes. She felt the heat in her fingers and she pretended it was a basketball. She threw it, hitting the ground three feet away."

"I never really was any good at basketball," she said softly.

"Don't focus on the fire, focus on the target. Pretend that it's someone you don't like." Raven imagined that the target was her dad, focusing on the target, this time keeping her eyes opened, allowing Evan to hold her arms. "Now…fire,"

Poof!

"I did it! I really freakin' did it!"

"You did, you hit the target and no one got hurt." Raven giggled, throwing her arms around him. He hugged her back before hastily releasing her. She blushed and turned her tawny eyes away. "You did good. Now, try to put it out. Focus and try to cool it. You can do it." Raven obeyed, holding her hands palms down, blowing air through her lips as if she was blowing out a candle. The fire died down and she smiled gently, sighing with relief. "Good job, Raven."

"Thanks for your help, Evan." He put an arm around her to hold her close and she smiled, nuzzling into his shoulder. He pulled her closer, wrapping his arms around her shoulder until she pulled away. "I can't do this. I can't. I need to go inside. I have…homework."

"It's summer vacation. School doesn't start for another four weeks."

"Then I need to finish my book. I'll see ya'." He watched her leave, feeling as if he had missed something.

Raven bolted up the stairs without taking a second to catch her breath until she had slammed the door shut to the closet she had hid in before. Then, she took in deep gasping breaths until her breathing returned to normal, and she realized her cheeks and hands were wet with saltwater tears. She shouldn't have let him so close. She had thought she would be fine but…She felt stupid. She felt…scared. He had held her gently and she should have known he wouldn't hurt her but she was unable to trust him. She didn't trust anyone.

But those few moments when she was in his arms…

She had felt a mixture of emotions. She felt safe and warm. She had felt protected and…loved. She realized that she had felt loved when he held her. She had only known him for a little while but she somehow knew that he was someone to trust. He wouldn't hurt her.

She opened the closet door and slid out, realizing that she'd need to find a better place to hide. Raven slunk up the stairs to her and Rogue's bedroom, shutting the door behind her. Pepper was lying on her bed, wagging his tail and tilting his head. What's the matter?

"Nothin'," she told him. He rested his head on his paws, wagging his tail.

You don't look like it was nothin', he growled. She glared in his direction, a glare meant to silence. It worked. Rogue came in then and she looked at Raven with a concerned look in her green eyes. She sat down on the corner of Raven's bed, gripping her hand gently.

"What's the matter?"

"I'm going for a walk. You comin' Pepper?" Pepper nodded and stood, leaping off the bed and following her out the door. Once outside, Raven finally felt like she was able to settle down. The sun was hot on her neck and she could feel the skin on her shoulders burning, but she didn't she didn't care, though she wished she had put a t-shirt over her tank-top. She was used to the heat. She was, after all, from the south. In Mississippi, a half an inch of snow and the whole town shut down. Pepper darted a little ahead of her, barking at some birds, wagging his tail jovially. Raven smiled, watching him. His brown eyes met hers, asking with them before he asked mentally, Are you alright?

"Yeah. I just need sometime to think. I need to walk off some energy." Pepper nodded, lunging forward again, barking at a pair of squirrels. Raven giggled.

The sun had started to go down, and Raven welcomed the cool breeze. Pepper suddenly stopped dead, his nose twitched, his tail standing straight up as he growled low under his breath. Raven turned in the direction her dog was staring. She realized that she had wandered far off from the institute and she had found herself walking past the old abandoned factory. Rogue had told her that the place had been closed for around ten years.

So why was there a figure moving in front of the window? And why was there a hole in the chain link fence? Raven, where are you going?

"I checking this out," she replied, slinking into the gap between the metal.

Wait Raven! he called, slinking through the fence after her. Pepper crawled on his belly and Raven imitated him, getting a flashback of her and Rogue, age seven, and Pepper slinking through the backyard, playing commando in the rain. She laughed, envisioning Rogue's mother stomping out on the back porch, hands on her hips. Raven, Marie, get ya' rear-ends in this house before you catch ya' death a' cold! Pepper, I'm surprised at you for indulging their playing out in the rain. Pepper had always kept them out of trouble, being more reliable then a babysitter. She tried to shut out his voice in her mind, telling her that this wasn't safe.

They hid behind the bushes, attempting to hear what was going on inside. Raven hears voices, but they were muffled and unrecognizable. She looked up on the roof and saw a skylight. With a wry smile, she began to climb up the rain pipe. Raven! Don't leave me down here! Pepper whimpered. Raven stepped back down and hoisted Pepper on her back. He gripped her shoulders with his front paws and locked his back legs around her waist as she began to climb again. When they reached the roof, Pepper leaped off of her back, digging his claws into the shingles of the roof, whimpering slightly.

"Don't be such a puppy," Raven admonished, climbing up the slanted roof towards the skylight. Pepper leaped back on her back, unable to get good traction. They reached the skylight and the roof finally leveled out, allowing Pepper to walk on his own. Raven put her ear to the glass, trying to hear. She heard the voices, but the words were still unrecognizable. "I'm goin' in," Raven whispered. Pepper shook his head.

Raven!

"Hush, mutt," she snapped, unlatching the window and sliding in. She carefully groped for something to hold on to and she gingerly held onto the window. She whimpered softly as she dangled on the window. She looked down, relieved to see that there was nobody in the room. "Pepper, help me up." She felt teeth tugging at the back of her tank-top, trying to help her up. She suddenly heard the door open and two men entered the room. Raven gasped and bit her lip to silence herself. The dog pulled harder.

The two men sat down in chairs across from each other, and began to talk again, but Raven was too panicked to worry about listening. She locked her legs just above her arms and scrambled back up on the roof, panting. Pepper licked her cheek comfortingly. "I wanna see what they're up to. It's probably illegal," she whispered.

Raven! What if they have guns?

"I'll roast 'em."

You can't aim.

"Evan helped me. I'll be fine. Stay!" She eased her way carefully over the roof and out of sight. Pepper whimpered, debating on weather or not to follow her. His normally flawless obedience told him to stay where he was told, but his devotion to Raven told him to follow, just for the simple purpose of relaxing her.

Raven searched until she found a window on the top floor, far away from where the voices and close to the floor where she wouldn't break her neck. She heard a noise behind her as Pepper crawled across the roof to sit at her heel. "I thought I told you to stay."

When have you ever listened to me?

"I listened to you when you asked me not to have you fixed."

And no one appreciates that more then me. Raven giggled. Raven dangled down, and pushed open the window, climbing inside and pulling Pepper in behind her.

"Now, be quiet." Pepper nodded, placing his nose to the ground and inhaling deeply.

Shoes. Dirty ones. Maybe motor oil too. Raven nodded as she tiptoed behind the sniffing dog. He turned the corner quietly and led her down the steps. The floor was grey linoleum and the walls were made of cement bricks, making it very cold inside. Raven shivered. This way, Pepper encouraged as they neared the door to the room the two men sat in. Raven could here voices, finally able to make out the words. The older male was speaking.

"I thought I heard something upstairs a moment ago. Go check it out."

"I'm sure it's nothing. It's probably just rats." The older man nodded. Raven breathed a silent sigh of relief. Pepper reciprocated her feelings with a wag of his tail.

"I've been watching them. They have a new girl. I red-headed pyro with a dog. She's pretty weak, though." Raven gasped slightly, realizing that they were talking about her. Pepper drew back his lips, showing his teeth, making no sound.

"When do we make our move?"

"Tomorrow night. We'll storm in while Xavier is away and take as many of the kids as we can."

"Do we have enough men?"

"Yes of course."

"What about the red-head? She's no use to us."

"She will be once she's been trained a bit."

"And the dog?"

"We'll drown him." Raven gasped and gripped at Pepper's fur.

I think it's time to excuse ourselves, Pepper said and Raven nodded, backing out slowly. Once she was a safe distance away, she turned a bolted, Pepper close behind. She didn't see a door so she decided to go out the way she came in, running up the stairs. Panting, she wrenched herself into the room she had came in and leaned against the wall, panting.

"Did you here that, Pepper?" she whispered. "They're planning to attack us and use us for their own gain." Pepper growled in response. "We have to get out of here and warn the others. We have to-aggggh!" Raven shrieked as she felt arms lock around her waist as another man pounced heavily on Pepper, holding his mouth shut.

"What do you think you're doing, missy?" said a deep male voice. 


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter Six: Captive

Raven dug her teeth into his hand but he didn't release her. Pepper gnashed his teeth at the other guy as he wrapped a rope tightly around his muzzle and tied another around his neck. The human holding onto Raven began to wrap a rope around her wrists, but Raven burned them instantly. "She's the pyro," he said to the two men that entered. One of them took his shirt off and wrapped it tightly around her hands.

"Flame retardant," he said simply as he helped the other man twist the ropes painfully tight around her wrists, holding the cloth in place. Someone was already dragging Pepper down the stairs. Someone jerked Raven to her feet and shoving her forward, down the stairs.

It's alright, Pepper said to her. Raven nodded to him before they were drug into the room where the first two men were seated. The older one, who seemed to be in charge, stood and walked almost lazily to stand in front of them.

"Hello, youngun'," he said amiably, as if he was talking to his granddaughter instead of his captive. "Cut her loose but leave the cloth in place. Avery, shut that mutt up." Avery gave Pepper a kick, causing him to yelp and wrench his mouth open, loosening the rope enough to shake it off his muzzle and sink his teeth into his captor's foot. Avery hollered. Raven used the distraction to slam her fist into her captor's stomach. He gagged and released her as she wrenched her hands out of the flame retardant cloth. She felt a hand on her arm and she forced the heat through her skin, forcing him to let go.

She tried to run but she felt a searing pain in her side as a knife sliced across her ribs. She yelped and slammed a fist at him. He rewarded her by slicing the blade across her arm. Pepper lunged as he tossed Raven to the ground, locking his teeth into Raven's assailant's neck, inches from his life vein. "Get off you damn beast!" Pepper let go and dug his teeth into his knife hand, forcing him to drop it.

"Pepper…run! Get…help!" Raven gasped, and Pepper retreated to the nearby window.

"No you don't." Another human grabbed for the knife and chased after Pepper, raking it across his side, leg, and neck. Pepper hollered as he went limp.

"PEPPER!" Raven yelled. "Don't hurt my dog!

"Get the animal out of here," the older man commanded. Raven had tears in her eyes, but she was unable to think about anything as the pain hit her again, her side and her arm bleeding heavily. One of the men lifted Pepper and carried him out.

Raven blacked out.

Pepper was still. He was afraid to move as he was carried outside and sat down in the ally. "Sorry buddy," the human whispered. The human went back inside and shut the door with a clack. Pepper whimpered involuntarily as he tried to stand. He whole body hurt and he was bleeding to badly to lick his wounds. He finally forced himself to stand, leaning on the wall, crying out as he stepped down on his injured leg. He forced himself to walk, but not out of self preservation. He had made a promise to Raven long ago. Raven had been afraid, scared of her father when they had climbed into Rogue's window in the middle of the night, and Pepper had promised her that he would protect her. He had promised never to leave her. He had never left her before.

He damn well wasn't gonna start now.

So he pressed on, as dogs had done since to dawn of time, risking their lives for the human's they loved, as Raven had done for him when he was a lost and alone pup, drowning in the river. She had nearly drowned herself trying to save him. He remembered the promise he had made to Raven and realized that that was the first time he had said it out loud, but he had always protected her, never leaving her side when she was sick or in danger. When she was sad, he had licked her tears. When she was sick, he had stayed by her side. When she was scared, he had had protected her. When she was happy, he had laughed with her, and, in return, she had never abandoned him.

He walked slowly, gasping with every step, but he was moving none-the-less. He headed in the direction of home, realizing that, not only was Raven's life in danger, but so were the rest of the X-Men. Pepper looked up and realized with astonishment, that the mansion was in sight, but his body shook and he felt weak. He was feeling numb as he laid down again, whimpering as he closed is eyes, unable to go on.

Pepper drifted into blissful unconscious.

Rogue shifted uncomfortably in her seat as Gambit sat down beside her. "You alright, Chere?" She nodded slightly. Scott stepped into the room and sat on the couch across from them.

"Hey Thelma, where's Louise?"

"Are you looking for Raven?"

"No, I'm looking for Gena Davis. Yes I'm looking for Raven."

"I haven't seen her. She went for a walk about four hours ago and I haven't seen her since. It's getting dark."

"You don't think she's…run away…do you? Storm said she had a history of that."

"No, she left her guitar upstairs. If she was running away she wouldn't leave it. I think that something's wrong."

"Why?"

"This is going to sound weird but…when we were kids, I could always tell if something was wrong. I would get this gnawing feeling in my stomach whenever she was in danger. I feel like that now. I just know she's in trouble. I just know it." Rogue knew she was beginning to sound hysterical but she could've cared less. Gambit placed a hand on her knee and she leaned against him, drawing comfort from his warmth. Gambit found himself wishing he could wipe her cheeks and kiss her lips but he knew that he couldn't. She wouldn't allow him to take that risk. She loved him to much.

"Hey, you guys, have you seen Pepper anywhere?" Jean asked as she entered the room.

"He and Raven went for a walk forever ago. Why?" Rogue asked.

"I keep hearing a dog whining," she said as Logan came in behind her.

"Yeah. I heard it to. I thought the mutt might be trying to get inside but I didn't see him." Jean darted to the door and Rogue followed her as she stepped outside.

"Pepper, here boy," she called. "There it is again. It was a very plaintive whimper." Jean, Rogue, Logan, and Gambit stood out on the porch, looking for the source of the whimpering. Jean gasped as she darted down the porch steps towards the end of the driveway. Rogue glanced in the direction she was headed and saw, what looked like, a dead dog, collapsed at the end of the driveway. "Oh my God!" she gasped, running after Jean. The boys followed after them.

"He's bleeding pretty bad," Jean said, running her hand down his side. He yelped, suddenly conscious. When he saw who it was, he licked Jean's hand. She brushed her hand lightly over his muzzle before lifting him gently off the ground and carrying him inside, downstairs to the infirmary, lying him gently on one of the beds.

"What's wrong?" Jubilee asked as she and Kitty entered the room.

"Pepper's hurt," Rogue said, her voice shaking. She tried not to think about how he got hurt. He was a very docile dog, not one for fighting street dogs, and he never left Raven's side. If he was this torn up then Raven must be hurt pretty badly.

And she was the only one that could understand his language.

"Kitty, will you hand me the gauze. We've got to stop the bleeding." She took the gauze from Kitty and began to dab up the blood that had seeped out of the wound and matted into his fur. "Shhh boy. It's alright. It's alright. Good boy," she cooed gently, trying to calm the shivering dog. Rogue held his head in her hands and whispered comfortingly to him as he whimpered, trying to stand. "No, buddy. Lie down. You can't walk."

"He's probably trying to get to Raven."

"There's got to be a way we can find out where she is. Jean-"

"Way ahead of you. Pepper, we're going to find Raven, but we need you to help us. I want you to focus on Raven. Focus on where she is." Jean touched her fingers lightly to his temples, focusing her physic energy on the dog's mind. She had never tried to read a dog's thoughts before but this was life or death. Raven could be dying.

Or she could be already dead.

"Focus Pepper. Focus on Raven." She closed her eyes, and, as her vision disappeared, New vision took over. She was lower to the ground and her eyes were sharper, as were her ears and nose. She was being lifted by a strange human and she shivered in pain. She was seeing things from Pepper's mind. Jean watched as Pepper's eyes locked on Raven, who was crumpled on the floor, bleeding profusely. Jean gasped as Pepper's vision went black. "She hurt badly. She's pretty sliced up, just like Pepper. We have to get to her."

"Where is she?" Jubilee asked.

"Let's see. There were grey cement bricks and a grey linoleum floor. It was a big room with a skylight."

"The old factory has a skylight. And it's made outta grey cement bricks," Gambit said. "Maybe that's where she is.

"You guys round up the others and we'll leave."

"What about Pepper?" Kitty asked.

"I'll stay with him," Rogue said.

"I'll stay with you," Gambit told her. Jean nodded.

"Aren't you worried about Raven?"

"Yes, but she'd never forgive me if I let something happen to her dog. Just promise me that you'll find her."

"Don't worry, Rogue. We'll find her." 


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter Seven: "Hold On."

It took only ten minutes to get the others together. Logan, Jubilee, Jean, Evan, Kitty, Scott, Bobby, Tabitha, Storm, and Kurt slunk into the bushes outside of the factory. "I'll see if she's here," Kurt said, teleporting himself to the roof. He peaked through the skylight and saw the fiery red-head crumpled on the floor, her arm and side bleeding. He bit his lip, fearful for his spunky friend. He teleported back to the ground. "She's in there. She looks pretty bad." Jean sighed.

"We need to get up to her. Storm, can you get me up there? I'm going to ask her how she got in there."

"Maybe I should go with you," Scott asked. "We have no idea what we're up against."

"I'll be fine, Scott. You worry to much." Jean found the drain pipe Raven had used to get up and shimmied up the wall, pulling herself up on the roof, giving her friends the thumbs up sigh to let them know she was alright. She slunk to the skylight and saw Raven. She took a deep breath. Oh God, she looked almost dead.

Raven! Wake up! she said mentally, half yelling, half praying.

Raven woke slowly, hearing a familiar voice. Raven! Wake up!

"Jean?" she moaned softly.

Raven, I'm in your mind. Just think what you want to say.

Jean? What are you doing here?

Good girl! You're awake. Are you alright?

I don't know. I hurt. Her mental voice was clipped and strained.

I need you to focus and stay awake for me, baby. Jean said.

Where's Pepper?

Are you in the room alone?

Where's Pepper?

Raven!

Jean! Where's my dog?

He's at home. He's pretty banged up. Focus, are you alone. Raven looked around, her mussels screaming at her for doing so.

Yeah, I think so. Jean, my arm hurts.

We're coming in to get you baby. How did you get in?

The window on the second floor, but it'll be guarded.

Then we're coming in the skylight.

Jean gestured for her friends to come on up, but placed a finger over her lips for them to be quiet. Kurt helped Kitty, Jubilee, Bobby, and Jubilee and Storm helped the rest. By the time they got up on the roof, Jean had the skylight unlatched and she was using her power to lower herself down. "Wait," she told the others, "I'll rescue her. If I need you, I'll whistle,"

"Do we look like Pepper to you?" Jubilee asked with a giggle.

"Please, Pepper understands better English then the rest of us," Logan growled and Kitty giggled. Jean landed on the floor and quietly slunk over to where Raven was lying, having blacked out again. Jean reached her hand out and brushed her hair out of her face. She gently scooped the small girl up, and Raven winced, gasping, only half awake. She motioned for Logan come down, and he jumped, landing on his feet.

"Take her. I want to check this place out. See if you can slow the bleeding."

"They turned Raven into confetti, Jean, like I'm going to let you go by yourself."

"Deal with it, Logan. Take Raven," she said, handing Raven over gently to Logan, who cradled her gently.

"Easy there, Raven. It's alright. You're safe now," Logan said gently, brushing her hair out of her face, and Jean smiled.

"Starting to like her a little?"

"Not at all, now get us out so I can keep her from bleeding to death." Jean smiled wryly, focusing her powers to lift them up through the skylight. Logan landed safely on the ground, gently resting Raven on the ground. Evan climbed down behind him and placed his hand on Raven's arm.

"Is she alright?"

"I don't know. Get back up there and tell Cyclops to go with Jean. She doesn't need to go alone. Take a look at exhibit A."

"He already went with her."

"Good. Now get me something I can use to stop her bleeding." Evan nodded, pulling off his shirt and handing it to Wolverine. Wolverine wrapped it around her arm. He then slid Raven's blood stained black tank-top off so he could get to the wound, leaving her in just her black bra. "Boy, this chick wears more black then is good for her. What is she, she first red-headed gothic?" He used her tank-top to slow the bleeding on her hip. Evan held tight to Raven's hand, afraid to let go.

"Hold on Raven," he whispered. "Please Raven. I love you. Hold on."

"Scott, what are you doing?"

"You're not going in there alone. You saw what they did to Raven."

"You're worse then Logan. Come if you must," she said with gentle amusement. Scott followed her as she eased through the door, her powers expanded so she could feel the presence of anyone, friend or foe. She scanned the room with her eyes and her mind, feeling the presence of three humans in the next room. They didn't feel like friends.

She eased forward, cautioning Scott about their enemies in the other room. She suddenly felt another presence behind her and she turned sharply, a male human standing in her way.

"Good thing you rescued your little friend. I'm sure she wouldn't want to witness your murders before she died. Don't try to save her. She's been steadily bleeding out for over three hours. She's going to die no matter what you do."

"Don't ever underestimate the stubbornness of a southern red-head. She just might surprise you with her will to live." Jean knew she was bluffing. When her mind touched with Raven's for that brief few moments, she had been able to sense all of the mental anguish she had suffered, though she didn't know why or from who. She knew, from the dark traces in her mind that she had done drugs once and had tried suicide twice. She knew how severely messed up Raven was, and that she needed someone to help her work through it, and Jean knew she was just the one to help her.

That was, if Raven lived.

That was, if they all lived.

Logan's pulse was racing with fear as he tried his best to save Firefly. Spyke was gently caressing her forehead and holding her hand, whispering soothingly, but he knew Evan was just as afraid as he was. Logan found himself feeling glad that Rogue had opted to stay with Pepper. He was glad that she didn't have to see her best friend die, which, he realized, was probably why she had stayed at the mansion. She knew her friend may be dead. "Best friends from hatch to dispatch", Raven had said. Logan hated that "dispatch" would come before either girl had anticipated. Even though he still tried to stop her bleeding, he knew it would do no good. She had lost so much blood already that it would be impossible to save her, but still he tried. He didn't know why. Maybe it was because Rogue needed her best friend, or because Evan was in love with her. Maybe it was because Pepper had given his life to save hers and he didn't want that sacrifice to have been in vain.

Maybe it was because she was so much like himself at her age that he wanted to help her like no one had helped him. 


	8. Chapter 8

A/N: I got tiered of forcing fight scenes and having them suck like a vacuum so, I skipped it. Plus, I wrote this at almost one in the morning so I was kinda burnt out. -0 zzzzzzz

Chapter Eight: The Covenant 

By the time Jean and the others had fought off the two men inside the building, the others had escaped. They'll be back, she mused, taking Scott's hand. She hoped that Raven was alright

They climbed back out of the skylight to see the others gathered on the ground around Raven and Logan, who was still trying to keep her alive. "Kurt, teleport her home, now," she said, taking charge immediately. Kurt obeyed, taking Raven's hand, and, with a shark crack, they both disappeared.

"Kurt, what's the matter, friend?" Beast asked as they appeared at the mansion.

"Raven's dying!" he said hastily, handing her over to Beast, who took her gently.

"Oh no. What happened?"

"We're not quite sure. Pepper's already down in the infirmary with Rogue and Gambit." Professor Xavier entered the room and gasped.

"Oh my. What on earth-"

"I'll explain when the others get back just try and save her." Beast nodded and took Raven down to the infirmary, resting her on the bed next to Pepper. Rogue had been half asleep when he entered, but, upon his entry, she sat up. Gambit was asleep, lying his head on the bed Pepper was lying on.

"Oh my God," she said in her thick accent. Gambit sat up wrapped his arms around Rogue, pulling her back.

"Is she gonna be alright?" he whispered. Beast bit his lip.

"I honestly don't think so. I'll do what I can but…she's lost so much blood." He peeled back the cloth protecting the wound on her hip and took a deep breath. "Gambit, why don't you take Rogue in the other room."

"No!" she yelled. " I won't leave her, not again."

"But Rogue, she's dying."

"I don't care. When we were ten years old, she, Pepper, and I made a pact never to leave each other when one of us was in need. I've already broken that covenant once. I won't break it again. That's why I didn't leave Pepper. I promised to look out for him just as much as Raven and he needed me then." She viscously swiped the tears from her eyes and cheeks. "I'm going to stay with her no matter what." She took Raven's hand and squeezed it tightly in hers. "From hatch to dispatch, right Raven?" Beast smiled.

"I believe that it was Aristotle that said a friend was a single soul dwelling in two bodies." He gave Rogue's free hand a comforting squeeze. "Hand me that gauze over there, will you?"

Jean entered the living room to see Kurt, Gambit, and, she realized with relief, Pepper asleep on the couch, Pepper in Gambit's lap. She smiled, realizing it was late. The others had dispersed upstairs to their rooms, afraid to ask how Raven and Pepper were. Jean placed her hand on Gambit's shoulder and he awoke. "Hey, Jean." He yawned and shifted in his seat.

"How's Raven and Pepper?"

"Pepper's fine. He's all stitched up and he's sleeping. Beast took Raven to da' hospital. Said she needed blood. I think she might pull through." Jean breathed a sigh of relief.

"What about Rogue?"

"She's pretty worried. She went to da' hospital with Beast. We wanted to go but Beast said to stay here so ya'll don't worry." Jean placed a hand on Kurt's knee.

"Honey, why don't you go on to bed." He yawned and nodded, giving Pepper a gentle pat before dragging up the stairs. "You should go to bed as well."

"Naw, I'm fine. I want to wait fo' Rogue. See if Raven's alright. Besides, Pepper's comfortable. I don't want to wake him. He needs sleep more then I do." 


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter Nine: Hatch To Dispatch

Rogue took a deep breath as she opened the door to the hospital room. She shivered as she saw her best friend with an IV in her arm but forced herself not to cry again. She reached out her gloved hand to touch Raven's flour white cheek. Her tawny eyes fluttered open and she gave a slight smile. "Hey," she whispered.

"Shhh, don't talk." Rogue sat on the corner of the bed holding her friend's hand. "How do you feel?"

"Fantastic," she said, her voice barely audible. Her face was white as a sheet and her voice was strained, as if every word hurt. Her body was very weak.

But she was alive, and that was all Rogue cared about.

"Raven, do you remember how, when you were little, you would climb into my bed room window when your dad and step-mom were tryin' ta' kill each other?"

"Yeah. I would…throw pebbles at your window and you would pull me and Pepper inside. I would crawl in your bed and you would tell me that it was going to be alright. You would sing…what was it that you used to sing?"

"The Sun'll come out Tomorrow. Remember how we saw Annie over a hundred times because it was the only play the high school knew?" Raven giggled softly.

"That's were I got my love for music, because it always made me feel better when you sang to me. You were always the strong one, Rogue." Rogue pulled back the covers on the hospital bed and slid in next to her, holding her in a comforting, sisterly embrace. She began to hum the familiar tune as Raven drifted off to sleep once more.

Logan was sitting in the living room, enjoying the quiet when Jean entered the room. She sat down beside him and smiled. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah. I'm fine. Do you know anything about Raven yet?"

"Rogue called and said that the transfusion went fine and they're going to send her home in the morning. Technically, it's already morning but they mean when normal people aren't asleep. Probably around eight-ish. Pepper's asleep in Gambit's room. I finally got him to go to bed."

"I feel kinda silly, talking about that dog as if he were a human."

"Well, Raven thinks of him as human. She can understand his language, so, I guess he's human to her. Besides, he saved her life." Logan shrugged. "I think you're starting to like her a little more then you're willing to admit."

"Maybe a little. She's a tough kid. She reminds me a lot of myself at her age. I was alone, a wanderer with no place to call home. I had seen to much that I just wanted to forget. Then I came here. This is the first place I have ever felt safe." He took a deep breath and smiled at the memory. "At least she found her safe haven earlier in life then I did. Maybe there's hope for her after all."

"I don't think you turned out so bad," Jean said softly. He sighed.

"Maybe you're right. Maybe there's still hope for me too."

Evan stepped quietly into the infirmary, where Raven had been moved. Rogue looked up and smiled at him. "Hi," she whispered tiredly.

"Hi. Why don't you go get some rest. I'll stay with them." She yawned and left the room. He took the seat she had sat next to the bed and scratched Pepper's ears. Raven opened her eyes and smiled.

"Hey!"

"You sound better."

"A little rest and music and I feel a lot better." She gestured at the guitar laying beside the bed. "Rogue brought it down. She hasn't heard me play in a while so I played for her."

"How'd you learn. Did you take lessons?"

"Nah. I just taught myself. I could teach you, if you want."

"Sure. Later though. You're still healing. I wanted to talk to you about what happened at target practice yesterday."

"Geez, was that only yesterday? It seems like a lifetime ago." He smiled, gripping her hand. "Actually, I wanted to talk to you about that too."

"Yeah, I know. I shouldn't have been-"

"Shhh!" She said, placing a finger on his lips. "Let me say this before you start apologizing." He nodded, allowing her to continue. "I pushed you off because I was scared. I didn't want you getting close because ninety-nine point nine percent of the guys in my life have been creeps that have hurt me and I didn't want you to be one of them. I would have rather of had you as a friend then to loose that friendship by datin' ya'."

"So you've dated a lot of creeps, that doesn't mean they're all creeps."

"I'm not talkin' bout' datin', Evan. My daddy drove my mamma to drink and then he drove her away. He spent all his time yellin' at my step-mamma and, after she died, he took it all out on me. Two outta three brothers smacked me around constantly so I had to learn to fight young. Trust me, at twelve years old I could deck my five foot nine, fifteen year old brother."

"What about the other brother?"

"Benji always looked out for me. Skip grew up eventually, but Toby-"

"Whoa, wait. Benji, Skip, and Toby? Please tell me that you're talking about human brothers and not…dogs."

"Of course there humans, except of course, when the full moon is out. Benjamin, Stephen, and Tobias. The point is, when I was bleedin' ta' death, I felt you holding my hand and I heard you tell me you loved me, and I realized that I loved you too. I also realized that I hadn't told ya' how I felt, and I wanted to. That's why I fought for my life so hard. I couldn't stand dyin' and you not knowin' how I felt." He smiled, wiping a tear from her eyes.

"I understand," he whispered, leaning in for a kiss and smiled when she obliged. They broke apart when Pepper growled, scooting himself upwards, resting in between them.

Think of me as the Berlin wall, boy, he growled, try to cross me and you find out what barbed-wire between your legs feels like. Raven giggled.

"He said-"

"Thanks, but I get the picture. I would prefer not to know what he really said." They sat a moment in companionable silence before Evan leaned down, pulling Raven's guitar off of the floor and pulling the guitar pick from under the strings, handing it to her. "You know, I've never heard you play. Play something for us, the two none abusive men in your life," he said, affectionately rubbing Peppers ears.

"My arm's a little sore, but I'll try." She took a deep breath and strummed a chord.

"Do you sing or just strum chords?"

"I can sing a little."

"Well, go for it." She smiled, taking a breath as she strummed again.

"How could you know

That behind my eyes a sad girl cried

And how could you know

That I hurt so much inside

And how could you know

That I'm not the average girl

I'm carrying the weight of the world

YEAH!

So can you get me outta here"

Her voice is beautiful, Evan thought, placing his hand on her knee, inviting her to go on.

"Take me away

We'll jump in the car

Drive till the gas runs out and then walk so far

That we can't

See this place anymore

Take a day off

Give it a rest

So I can forget about this mess

If I lighten up a little bit,

Then I will be

Over It

I'm playin' the role

Of the happy girl

But no one knows

Inside I'm alone

But I would never let it show

I get everyday

Too much work and not enough play

Over and over

It's always the same

YEAH!

But you can make everything OK...

Take me away

We'll jump in the car

Drive till the gas runs out and then walk so far

That we can't

See this place anymore

Take a day off

Give it a rest

So I can forget about this mess

If I lighten up a little bit,

Then I will be

Over it

Over it

And when the world is closin' in

I can leave it all and just walk away

I can always start all over again

I am closer to a better day

Take me away

We'll jump in the car

Drive till the gas runs out and then walk so far

That we can't

See this place anymore

Take a day off

Give it a rest

So I can forget about this mess

If I lighten up a little bit,

Then I will be

Take Me Away

Take Me Away

We'll jump in the car

Drive till the gas runs out and then walk so far

That we can't

See this place anymore

Take a day off

Give it a rest

So I can forget about this mess

If I lighten up a little bit,

Then I will be

If I lighten up a little bit,

Then I will be

Over It

Over It

I am Over It (over it)" He grinned as she finished.

"Beautiful," he said softly, kissing her gently. Pepper growled a warning.

It had been a few days since Raven had gotten home from the hospital and she had moved from the infirmary back to her room. She and Pepper were still encouraged to take it easy. Rogue stayed with her most of the time, catching up on old times as Raven absently strummed her guitar, humming the tune under her breath.

I can see it your eyes you're hurting

But pain is part of learning who you are

All these truths can sometimes be deceiving

When your whole world comes crashing to the ground

"Hey, Raven do you remember when we used to go catchin' fireflies in the meadow?"

"Yeah, why?"

"Do you remember when ya' taught me how to catch them properly?"

"Yeah, I told ya' ta' cup your hands around them and hold them gently, being careful not to crush 'em."

Tell me everything you need now anything at all

And I will be the one who's waiting anytime you fall

Yeah, When you come undone

When you come undone

"I always wanted to keep em' in my bedroom, but you wouldn't let me, because they needed their freedom. And you always told me ta' poke holes in the lids of the jars so they could breath. You remember the first summer we were old enough to hunt fireflies. I was upset when they disappeared in the fall?"

"Yeah, I remember."

"I was thinkin' about it the other day."

"I told you that they'd be back but you didn't believe me."

You know I can't be like everybody

Cause I can't tell you what you want to hear

I don't know if I can make it better

All I know is I will be around

"Do you remember what you told me the next summer?"

"No I don't," Raven said, strumming the guitar again.

"You said, 'See Marie, they never really go away. They just hide until it's safe to come out. It's their way of survivin'." Raven shrugged. Rogue giggled and leaped off the bed and began digging in her dresser, Raven watching curiously.

Tell me everything you need now anything at all

And I will be the one who's waiting anytime you fall

Yeah, When you come undone

When you come undone

She pulled out two mason jars with holes poked in the top with a hot nail. Raven giggled. "What's with this?"

"I thought we might go huntin', for old time's sake."

"Rogue, we're almost sixteen years old. Firefly huntin' is somthin' ya' do when you're seven."

When all your plans are made out lying on the floor

And all your dreams are turning into nothing more

When all your hope has left you know you're not alone

Just hold on

Hold on

"So? We missed out on a lot of fun times while I was gone. Come on, Firefly. Please?" Raven giggled.

"I guess it wouldn't hurt to be kids one more time." She took a jar from her friend and opened the door.

"See Marie, they never really go away. They just hide until it's safe to come out. It's their way of survivin"

Tell me everything you need now anything at all

And I will be the one who's waiting anytime you fall

Yeah, When you come undone

When you come undone 


End file.
